Doubts vs Trust
by NightSign
Summary: started as episode tag to 1x15 Dodger. What happens after Oliver and Felicity are back in the cave, days after the dodger case? Made into a multi-chapter! Chapter 2 online now!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So, if finally kicked myself out of my ''not daring to post'' state of mind. This story existed a while (like, after the dodger), but I was to afraid to place it online. But, what the hack, I will just try and see the response.  
So please review, let me know what you think (good, bad, IC, OC, etc. etc.) so I can try to make my next story better. At the moment this is a one-shot, but maybe I can add a few chapters. Just let me know if you're interested.

Oh, and I'm from the Netherlands, so English isn't my native language. And it isn't beta'd (yet).

**Disclaimer:** Nothing is mine. Unfortunately.

* * *

''Oliver, I know you don't want to hurt this girl, and you didn't have any choice in telling her who you really were but.. We're asking her to get involved in some pretty dangerous stuff.''  
'''We can _protect_ her.''  
''How?''

* * *

'You're kidding right? Because you need to know there is no way that I would _ever_ do that.'

'You, with the dodger.. It almost cost you your live. Don't you think that proves my point?'

Felicity was sitting at her desk at the foundry – well, to be precise, _the_ desk, but since she was the one who always sat behind it working, she thought about it as her own. This afternoon, she started with a new angle on her search for Walter in the hope of finding a tiny piece of the puzzle. She was still busy writing the code of the software, when her boss had begun to speak about protection and defense. Which lead him to his latest argument about the dodger.

It had been two days since she last saw Oliver. Two days since a psychopathic thief dressed her up with a bomb collar to make her do whatever he liked. She had been wrong to confront him about the jewelry he had stolen, it was a nice piece – expensive too – but it wasn't worth dying for. If Mr. Queen hadn't been around, she would have been dead. Wires may be wires, but if the wiz kind can't see the wires, then they could just as easily be spaghetti . She did realize she had been in life threatening danger. Oliver didn't have to point it out to her.

She frowned. Did she actually came up with three different ways to think about how dead she could be in just one fast thought? Even her mind was rambling now a days. That was probably because she got distracted when Oliver was training at the foundry. There was just too much to look at. The way his muscles flexed made her feel breathless, and the scars that she was able to see made her question what more he was hiding under his clothes. She felt the blush creep over her cheeks. No Felicity, don't even think about it!

When she heard him clearing his throat, she realized that she had zoned out, instead of giving him an answer to his question. She looked up to him, trying to hide the fact that she was thinking about him, instead of the discussion they were having.

''Look Oliver, is it really necessary? I don't want to… It's just that… You know…''  
The concerned look on his face was enough to keep her from speaking out loud. Something that was short of a miracle, knowing that she would have blurted out her worries – and anything else – if she found a way to start the sentence.  
The problem was, that as soon as his face softened, her babble mouth opened up and spilled it. Just her luck.

''…I have seen you fight Oliver. There is no way that I stand a chance against you. You probably break both my arm before you even notice and then where would I be? An IT-girl with plastered arms is useless.'' She looked at him, honesty in her eyes and shifted her glasses higher up her nose.

''I would never hurt you, Felicity.'' His deep dark voice spoke slowly and with an emphasis on the never. She saw how his jaw clenched, his eyes looking towards her. She knew it wasn't a lie, but she knew it wasn't the truth also. And he realized that to. He maybe would never hurt her on purpose, but when his instinct would take over… Let's just say that they both knew he was a fighter.

'Felicity,' he tried again, 'It's just a basic self-defense lesson. No surprises, so no danger from me, okay?' He looked into her eyes while his hand reached for hers. His fingers touched the back of her hand, o so gentle and soft.  
'Trust me.'

She knew she always would.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n:** Yeah, what a great set of reviews I have given. Thanks again for everyone who took the time to leave a message, it's really great! Also a thank you for the follows and favorites.  
As you all can see by this update, I decided to make it a multi-chapter, so here is part two! Have a few ideas to work out and I will try to make longer chapters. Also some character development. Oh, and it's not canon with the show, but maybe will follow up on a few things (like Felicity volunteering to buy Vertigo) if I get it done.

Still not beta'd, so any fault is completely mine (and remember, I'm Dutch, so English isn't my first language).  
And I still don't own anything. What still sucks..  
So leave a response, I don't mind if it's a flame (our critics are our friends, we learn from what they say), follow or favorite and I see you around soon!

* * *

They were standing across from each other in the basement beneath the club. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a bright pink tank top. Her nails were painted blue, lips colored in a lavender shade. The glasses were gone, replaced with contacts that irritated her eyes, while her hair was pulled back in a knot. One look at her and he could see all those details. But that wasn't because of her, it was because of who he was. And because of the training he had. But looking at her and thinking that she was pretty, that had definitely nothing to do with his training. So he just ignored it.  
A week had passed since their conversation about self-defense lessons. He had been meaning to get to it sooner, but life happened and he had been otherwise occupied. But now here they were, ready to start the first training. But it looked like Felicity's nerves got the best of her again. The way she was fumbling with her hands, breathing slightly faster than normal, and she was trying really hard to not make any eye contact with him. Little signs that showed him she wasn't comfortable with this. And he wasn't even shirtless, so that couldn't be it. He waited, knowing that she was like boiling water. Eventually it would spill right over.

'Can't I try to talk them to dead or something?' She than became silent, realizing what she just said. 'Figuratively speaking I mean. I don't want to kill somebody with talking.. Or like, kill them in any other way for that matter. But I am good in jabbering. Maybe just as good as you are in shooting your bow and arrow.. Better even. And it would be safer to. Less violent..'

He smiled slightly, secretly enjoying the patter. Felicity was like a breath of fresh air. She was pretty, smart, and capable, but most of all, honest. She wasn't afraid to tell the truth, to speak her mind. He admired her for that. She knew who he was and what he could do, and still she spoke up to him. Did her best to keep him grounded.  
He no longer possessed the innocence that Felicity represented, so being around her, hearing how she saw certain things, was like hearing the old him talk. Not the egotistic part of him – because she was nothing if not caring – but the naivety he had lost. The imagination that all things could be fixed. That no problem was too big. She believed it.  
It was just that he knew that if you didn't solve a problem the right way, it would come back around and bite you in the ass.

'I don't think that they would give you the time to start talking. One blow to the head and you're down and out. Nothing safe about that.'

'It's just… I want to be clear. I agreed on self-defense. Not on actually hurting the one who attacked me.'

'Felicity, you can't defend yourself without causing damage to the other. If you don't hurt them, they _will_ hurt you.'

'And if you kill them, they can't kill you?'

His jaw clenched by the truth of her words. She looked at him, her bright eyes full of concern. He blamed the island for his lack of compassion, for not truly caring about taking a life. It was not that he liked killing people, but in his eyes it was a meaning to an end. And the people who were dead by his hands weren't innocent. They got what was coming for them.  
But he didn't explain that to her. He just looked back, waiting for her to apologize. But she didn't. He realized that she did it again. She stood up to him, showed him how she thought about his actions. All the things what made him admire her.

'Let's just begin with some techniques that will help you get away when somebody grabs you, alright? If we work on your stamina and speed, maybe you can outrun them if you escape, so nobody has to get hurt.'

He knew that she noticed his change of behavior. His acceptance of her opinion and taking the effort to adjust the plans so she would be okay with it. He could read it in her eyes, hear it in the soft exhale of her breath. Like the world just colored a little bit brighter because she didn't have to hurt someone.

'Thank you.' Her honest voice cut through the silence, while she stepped closer to him. It was nice to know that she appreciated his gesture, but if he was honest with himself, he found it alarming that it meant so much to him. He could be himself around her, but still, he cared about how she thought about him. He shrugged it off. Now was not the time to think about why that was.

'I would never make you do anything against your will, Felicity. I just need you to consider your options. The glades are a dangerous place, the list has proven to get people in trouble, and you knowing about me.. Let's just say that it's not your daily thief who may be coming for you. There are people out there who are dangerous. Who will hold you down and the only way to break free from them is to hit them where it hurts.' He sighed, ran his hands through his hair. 'Just think about it, okay.'

He adjusted his plans for now, but he knew that eventually, she would need to learn how to fight the opponent off. He just wanted her approval to teach her. No. He _needed_ her approval.

'For now, let's see what you know, shall we? If somebody grabs you like this,' he said, while taking her wrist in his hand. Their bodies were just barely reaching each other. Her skin was warm and soft, her wrist so small that his hand encircled it completely. He looked in her eyes, to see that her focus was on his hand. 'How would you break free?'

He could feel how she turned her forearm, recognized the feeling of the ulna and radius shifting under his grip. First it rotated clockwise, than counterclockwise. He smiled, knowing that she was trying to figure out which way to move. She than jerked her hand towards his thumb, which made him brake contact. Not because it hurt, but because of the anatomy of a human body.

Felicity jumped up and down, all smiles and laughs. 'I did it. I did it!'

His smile transformed into a big grin. 'So let's do it again.'


End file.
